Forest of Dean Central Railway
Encyclopedia
The Forest of Dean Central Railway (also known as the Middle Forest Railway) was a short line in the Forest of Dean
, Gloucestershire
, England
. It was built to serve the collieries in the heart of the forest. From its opening in 1868, the line was operated by the Great Western Railway
and run by the Central Company until 1923. The GWR
took over the line in 1923 and ran it until its closure in 1949. It ran from Awre Junction to Blakeney Walk along the valley of Blackpool Brook. It served several mines and quarries as well as the corn mills in the nearby village of Blakeney
.
Colliery was opened in 1869. The original plan was to open the line to a new dock at Brimspill on the River Severn
; the railway never reached its target and stopped at its junction on the Gloucester to Newport Line
. It was built mainly to serve Howbeach Colliery; a goods station was situated at Blakeney
as well as a six arched viaduct to carry the railway over the A48 road
.
The opening of the Severn and Wye Railway
in the 1870s was a major blow for the line and the railway lost most of its traffic to the new company. In 1875 the section to the central mines and the New Fancy Colliery was abandoned and most of the traffic north of Blakeney stopped in 1921. The GWR
continued to run some trains on the north stretch until all services north of Blakeney ceased in 1932.
Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. The forest is a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and north, the River Severn to the south, and the City of Gloucester to the east.The...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was built to serve the collieries in the heart of the forest. From its opening in 1868, the line was operated by the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
and run by the Central Company until 1923. The GWR
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
took over the line in 1923 and ran it until its closure in 1949. It ran from Awre Junction to Blakeney Walk along the valley of Blackpool Brook. It served several mines and quarries as well as the corn mills in the nearby village of Blakeney
Blakeney, Gloucestershire
Blakeney is a village in Gloucestershire, England. It is the largest village in the parish of Awre. It has views of the Forest of Dean.It dates back to AD 75, and was home to Thomas Sternhold, a groom of King Henry VIII's Robes.-References:*...
.
History
Plans for a railway in the heart of the forest were first drawn up in 1826, however nothing was completed until the Forest of Dean Central Line opened in 1868. A branch line to the New FancyNew Fancy
New Fancy is the site of an afforested coal spoil heap near Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. It includes a picnic area, and a viewing site, in particular for goshawks. It is linked to the Forest of Dean Family Cycle Trail.-History:...
Colliery was opened in 1869. The original plan was to open the line to a new dock at Brimspill on the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
; the railway never reached its target and stopped at its junction on the Gloucester to Newport Line
Gloucester to Newport Line
The Gloucester to Newport Line is a railway line that runs along the bank of the River Severn in the United Kingdom from Gloucester to Newport....
. It was built mainly to serve Howbeach Colliery; a goods station was situated at Blakeney
Blakeney, Gloucestershire
Blakeney is a village in Gloucestershire, England. It is the largest village in the parish of Awre. It has views of the Forest of Dean.It dates back to AD 75, and was home to Thomas Sternhold, a groom of King Henry VIII's Robes.-References:*...
as well as a six arched viaduct to carry the railway over the A48 road
A48 road
The A48 is a major trunk road in Great Britain. It runs from the A40 at Highnam west of Gloucester to the A40 at Carmarthen. Before the construction of the M4 motorway and the first Severn Bridge in the mid 1960s it was the principal route into South Wales. For most of its journey through Wales,...
.
The opening of the Severn and Wye Railway
Severn and Wye Railway
The Severn and Wye Railway was a small railway network in west Gloucestershire that was constructed to allow exploitation of the mineral resources of the Forest of Dean. The Severn and Wye Railway and Canal Company began construction of the tramway and the Lydney Canal in 1810. In 1868 the tramway...
in the 1870s was a major blow for the line and the railway lost most of its traffic to the new company. In 1875 the section to the central mines and the New Fancy Colliery was abandoned and most of the traffic north of Blakeney stopped in 1921. The GWR
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
continued to run some trains on the north stretch until all services north of Blakeney ceased in 1932.